Animal Instinct
by unuttered
Summary: The huge cat sat by the lake, her tail hitting the water every so often, her eyes locked on her target a silvery fish, her paw goes through the air...A tale of love, of fantasy, of the animal inside.
1. Default Chapter

The huge cat sat by the lake, her tail hitting the water every so often, her eyes locked on her target a silvery fish attracted by her tails movement approached the bank where she sat, her paw goes through the air, as fast as lighting, she heard the satisfying sound of flesh being broken as her razor sharp claw pierced her preys side. She sat back with her prize, quite content with her achievement.

After she had filled her stomach the feline prowled around the forest, not afraid of the magical creatures she encountered from time to time. She was a jaguar, she was the symbol of courage and she would not back down from anything. She glanced at a tree and felt an ache in her claws. Giving in to the urge she paced over and pulled her claws down through the bark, proud of her power to mark such a tree in only one swipe.

She glanced at the night sky and realized that the up coming day was fast approaching, she growled in frustration and realized she had to change back. With a sad roar she willed the change. She hated the feeling of her bones shortening, her muscles disappearing, losing her strength and animal instincts. She felt awkward in her human skin. It was strange; she had spent sixteen years in her human form, but still felt herself most when she took on the shape of the beautiful huge cat. Pulling on her robes she hurried back through the forest to the castle, where she once again had to hide who and what she had become.

She had only taken on this form three weeks ago, in the library one day she had stumbled across a book on how to find your true animal form. It was part of a hidden book series on how to become an animagi. She suspected that Dumbledore left a copy or two to be found by his students if they had luck on their side. She had been silent to everyone about her find, and in secret had studied the book countless times, and had finally went through with the processes described.

She remembered the first time she transformed. She was in the room of requirement, hidden from everyone around her. She wasn't sure what brought about the change, but all of a sudden to her horror and surprise she felt her body and even her mind changing, being sculpted into something quite unlike herself. The book had made her think long and hard about her own traits, she had always heard that you were able to pick the animal you wished to become, but for her it was different. The book asked her to mutter a few Latin words, those words opened her heart and reveled the animal she was and wanted to be. When she realized what she had transformed into she felt at ease. This was who she was.

Everything about her was better, enhanced perhaps. She paced around the room, which had transformed into a tropical rainforest quietly and unnoticed. With each step she took through the beautiful forest she felt how powerful she had become. She realized that she was unbeatable; she was beautiful and perfect in the animal world.

It was not easy to hide herself and her powers from the people around her. The people she considered friends. Something about the change had changed her mind even when she was in her human form. Jaguars are reclusive and solitary animals. The only time they enjoyed the company of others of their kind was when they wished to mate. She didn't know how much this would affect her in her human state until after she had been changed already. Suddenly all she wished to do was to flee from over crowed places like the great hall and find silence and some place to be alone.

Luckily she could suppress this urge…most of the time.

"Why do you always look so tired now a days?" Ronald Weasley of Gryffindor asked, rage in his eyes. "Have a secret lover your sneaking out to meet?"

His words shocked her. Of course she did not have a lover, or anything of the sort. But she had been so careful to hide her secret nightly run. Biting back a sigh she look straight into her brothers eyes.

"Ron…what exactly are you implying. I don't have a lover or anything like that. Even if I did, why would I hide it?"

"I saw you last night, entering the common room in the middle of the night! What exactly were you doing Ginny?" He had said all this quite loudly, now half the table was looking at her curiously.

"Dear Merlin! Could you be any louder? Do you want me to get into trouble? I was getting a snack from the kitchens. Ok?" The lie slipped past her lips easily. Too easily in fact, when had Ginny become so good at hiding the truth?

Ron's face turned red. "How do you think I saw you?"  
Ginny realized she had made a terrible mistake. Caught in a web of lies.

"I was just coming back from the kitchens when I saw you, coming from a direction that could not have possibly led form the kitchens."

"Ron…"

"No Ginny. I wont be lied to! Where are you running off to in the middle of the night! I have a right to know."

A slow boiling anger rose inside her. She could feel her bones changing slightly, muscles forming. So slight it was almost undetectable. It was either flee or change in front of the entire school. She felt a growl grow in her chest as her vocal cords started to change. She ran faster from her seat then should be possible. She didn't want to run to the forbidden forest in daylight. Surely if she did someone would see her mid change.

Just before she thought she couldn't hold back any longer the room of requirements door appeared before her. She threw open the door with her hand and tore off her clothes. With a satisfied moan she let herself go. Once in her cat form she rubbed her body against the trees around her, ran through the forest, swam in the small pond. Happily in her cat form, so relieved to finally stop holding back.

When her mind finally focused she realized there was a new smell in her forest. Her body stiffened. Someone, something had been in her haven.

A/N- I don't own anything as you can see. I do not own Harry Potter, and also, I don't own Jaguars…obviously.  
This story flew from my mind. In a book I read (sadly I don't remember the name) one of the main characters animal counterpart was a jaguar. This really inspired me. I look up those wonderful creatures and tried to write about them as accurately as possible. I do not doubt that I made many many mistakes in this first chapter. Feel free to point them out. Flames and reviews alike are welcome. I would like everyone's opinion if this story is worth continuing. Unuttered 


	2. verrrrrrrrrry late chapter two

Chapter Two

Without thinking she changed back into her human shape and ran from her jungle. Her mind screamed at her to hurry, to run before whoever was there came back. Her rational side only returned to her when she entered the common room and found it empty. Looking at the clock on the wall her face showed her horror when she realized she had just cut half of her classes. She sighed, now she would normally be in the middle of double potions with the other six and seventh years. Snape would not be happy. No, he would probably kill her. Gathering up her courage the red head grabbed her books and ran through the hallways, down to the dungeons quickly, too quick perhaps. But with Snape's wrath about to fall on her she was too nervous to care. When she finally reached the door to the potions room her fear hit her again. This was bound to be painful. Her limbs almost moving on their own accord her hand closed around the doorknob and the door swung open.

Before she even had a chance to breathe Snape descended on her making fun of her, asking about where she had been and threatening her with detention and point deductions. The room spun around Ginny when the scent hit her, _the _scent. Her hand reached for the nearest thing to her, which happened to be another person, before her vision faded and she slipped away.

Draco Malfoy eyed his professor wearily as the head of Slytherin swooped down on the small read head and started to play with her, wanting to strike fear in her honey brown eyes. Sighing he went back to the bubbling cauldron before him, the potion brewing gave of a sickeningly sweet pink cloud, clogging up his senses, and making his eyes water, a side effect the Snape had warned him of before hand. This potion was renowned for its negative effect on cats. The Slytherin was jolted out of his thoughts when a hand wrapped around his arm. His eyes widened as he caught the read headed girl in his arms. Snape too was dumbfounded at the strange reaction from the girl.

"Take her to the nurse Mister Malfoy."

Without a word of protest the blonde brought the light girl close to his chest and walked out of the room, before her brother, Weasley, noticed and had a fit.

She felt…She felt, well… warm.

Draco looked down at the girl in his arms, as he got further away from the potions room the more his head cleared. Suddenly his heightened awareness returned to him, and he noticed her scent.

Stopping in the middle of a deserted hallway he lay the small girl down and buried his head in her hair. He too felt his vision blackening. But he was too content wrapping his fingers in her hair and purring in pleasure to care.

A/n- Yes, you all have permission to shoot/murder/disfigure me in any way you deem acceptable! I'm sorry to the wonderful people who reviewed on the first chapter, I don't want the story to be a one shot, or anything like that, just…a lot in my life! But I have more time now that some of the things are cleared up! So…this is a teaser, a sort of promise


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